1. Select container for topiary. Clay pots or urns are great for this.

2. Pick your pumpkins. Try to find three in graduated sizes and make sure largest fits snugly in container. The best pumpkins for this project are smooth, firm, heavy and should have a solidly attached stem. Be sure to press your thumb into bottom and if it flexes or gives, it’s not fresh

3. Next you need to cut into the pumpkins, and a serrated knife works best. Cut off the base pumpkin and then cut a whole in the bottom and top of the middle and top sections of the pumpkin.

4. Then you scoop out the insides. Use an ice cream scoop or a large metal spoon and continue to scrape until wall is 1 – 1.5 inches thick.

5. Create holes in pumpkins. Use a drill with various sized bits.

6. Pull strands of lights through hole in base of large pumpkin and weave the lights through the three pumpkins as you stack.

7. Add some leaves or vine to the base and you’re done!

Now that you’ve spent all this time preparing your pumpkins we’ve got some great tips to keep them looking good until Halloween.

1. Put a thin layer of petroleum jelly on inside and cut surfaces. It creates barrier to seal in pumpkin’s moisture.

2. Then spray with bleach and water mixture daily. It is one tablespoon bleach for each quart of water. The bleach fights mold and water keeps pumpkins from drying out

3. When it’s not on display, cover pumpkin with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. Or you can cover with damp towel and place in cool, dark spot.

4. If a pumpkin starts to shrivel, put it in a cold water bath for a few hours to rehydrate and then towel-dry to prevent mold.